Abstract

Photon echo is one of the most elegant experiments in nonlinear optics, demonstrating the reversibility of some dephasing processes. In this talk we report a series of accumulated photon echo experiments in erbium-doped optical fibers at 4.2°K. The fiber environment enables (i) efficient interactions due to the high intensity and long interaction length, (ii) experiments with optically thick, yet saturable absorbers, and (iii) simple interpretation of the experiments by one dimensional models. Moreover, fibers doped with erbium and other rare-earth ions are expected to play a major role as amplifiers in communication systems. Coherent spectroscopical techniques are important tools for investigations of the dynamics of optical transitions, and can help to characterize the active transition in such fibers.

© 1992 IQEC